Monday, January 28, 2013

On January 10, 2013, Senator
Patty Murray convened a group of stakeholders to discuss immigration reform.
The Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) was invited as a representative
of the LGBT and business communities.

Senator Murray pledged to fight for
comprehensive immigration reform that would reunite families, create a pathway
of citizenship for undocumented and address border issues.Several speakers attended to tell their
personal stories.A gay man, who came to
the United States as a college student, fell in love with another man but had
difficulty with commitment because he feared his visa would not be renewed and
he would need to leave the country.One
woman shared that the deportation of her husband resulted in the separation of
their family.She was left to be the
sole supporter of their children.Her
husband has illegally returned to the United States and the family lives in
constant fear that their family will be ripped apart by his deportation in the
future.Another woman talked about
filing her application for permanency and has been waiting more than fourteen
years in limbo.

Representatives from several
immigration, advocacy and labor organizations joined with GSBA to voice their
priorities for inclusion in an immigration reform bill.GSBA presented three of its priorities:(1) Reuniting LGBT families, allowing
same-sex foreign national partners and spouses of U.S. citizens to gain
permanent residency; (2) Extending federal student financial aid to “Dreamers”
to enable them to attend college and pursue professional careers; and (3)
Increasing visa and residency options for foreign students who attend college
in the United States and want to remain to work and live in our country,
particularly in the technology and science industries where employers are
unable to fill positions with qualified U.S. citizens.GSBA also suggested that our country engage
in a serious conversation about K through 12 STEM education and increasing the
number of U.S. college graduates that can fill the needs of U.S. employers in
the science and technology industries.